10 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor & His Wife

October is Pastor Appreciation Month and a good time to be intentional about showing thanks and gratitude to your pastor and his wife. Your pastor is one of the most important leaders in your life and in your community. A personal thanks can make a significant difference for any leader.

10 Ways to Appreciate Your Pastor & His Wife

Here are a few ideas to jump-start your thinking:

A personal letter or email of appreciation.

In the day of Instagram, text messaging, and Twitter, taking the time to write a specific letter of thanks will stand out. Let your pastor know all the personal ways he has ministered to you and your family. Thank him for the ways he has helped to grow you in your faith and taught you how to live your faith.

A personal note to the pastor’s wife.

Your pastor’s wife carries a significant role and weight of ministry. Her work is often behind the scenes and may go unnoticed. A personal note of thanks (and maybe add a gift card) and recognition of her ministry and support of the church will be a special blessing to her and to your pastor.

Lawn service for a year.

Keeping a yard up is hard work but may be especially hard for a pastor who often finds his ministry includes weekends. If you can’t afford yard service for a year, try pulling together a team twice a year (fall and spring) to do mulch, flowers, seeding, and trimming. October is a great time to start. This will be a blessing to him and his wife.

A new set of tires for his car.

We all know the challenge of car services and costs. Sometimes, we put off the needed tire change because of other more demanding expenses. A new set of tires, a few free oil changes, or other car services would be a great gift for him and his family.

A gift card to take his family to dinner. (Bonus points if you know or can find out their favorite restaurants!)

An overnight retreat for him and his wife.

If they have young children, work with others to provide childcare also.

Tickets to his favorite sporting event.

Especially tickets to a game he never gets to attend. This might be a fun trip for him and some other men in the church or a special time for him and his son(s).

House cleaning services for a year.

Have someone check with his wife to make sure this would be well-received and she could help in the selection. This might be a once a month gift or a one time gift. Pastors and their wives often do a great deal of ministry in their homes and having help with cleaning allows for more time and energy for ministry.

Time.

The gift of your time to listen, to pray with, and to encourage could be the exact thing your pastor needs. Scheduling time this month to take him to lunch and for you to focus on him and his needs (nothing about you or the needs of others!) would be a special gift. A few questions you can ask: How do your feel your ministry is going? What would you like to see change? What do you need to help you be more successful? How can I pray for you? The key is to let the focus be on him, you serving him, and you ministering to him.

Regular and consistent prayer.

Take prayer for your pastor and his family as a serious commitment. Check in with him regularly for specific prayer needs. Encourage others in the church to pray for him. Your support through consistent prayer will make a significant difference for him and for your church. This month, you may want to get a few others to join with you for specific times of prayer for your pastor and his family.

What other suggestions would you make?

“Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13

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About Selma

Selma Wilson is a wife, a mother, a grandmother, an advocate for moms, a cheerleader for marriages, a lover of Jesus, a family and marriage counselor/speaker, and the Chief People Officer at LifeWay Christian Resources. Read more about Selma.